The present invention relates to computer animation. More specifically, the present invention relates to enhanced user interfaces for object animation.
Throughout the years, movie makers have often tried to tell stories involving make-believe creatures, far away places, and fantastic things. To do so, they have often relied on animation techniques to bring the make-believe to “life.” Two of the major paths in animation have traditionally included, drawing-based animation techniques and stop motion animation techniques.
Drawing-based animation techniques were refined in the twentieth century, by movie makers such as Walt Disney and used in movies such as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937) and “Fantasia” (1940). This animation technique typically required artists to hand-draw (or paint) animated images onto a transparent media or cels. After painting, each cel would then be captured or recorded onto film as one or more frames in a movie.
Stop motion-based animation techniques typically required the construction of miniature sets, props, and characters. The filmmakers would construct the sets, add props, and position the miniature characters in a pose. After the animator was happy with how everything was arranged, one or more frames of film would be taken of that specific arrangement. Stop motion animation techniques were developed by movie makers such as Willis O'Brien for movies such as “King Kong” (1933). Subsequently, these techniques were refined by animators such as Ray Harryhausen for movies including “Mighty Joe Young” (1948) and Clash Of The Titans (1981).
With the wide-spread availability of computers in the later part of the twentieth century, animators began to rely upon computers to assist in the animation process. This included using computers to facilitate drawing-based animation, for example, by painting images, by generating in-between images (“tweening”), and the like. This also included using computers to augment stop motion animation techniques. For example, physical models could be represented by virtual models in computer memory, and manipulated.
One of the pioneering companies in the computer aided animation (CAA) industry was Pixar, dba Pixar Animation Studios. Over the years, Pixar developed and offered both computing platforms specially designed for CAA, and Academy-Award® winning rendering software known as RenderMan®.
Over the years, Pixar has also developed software products and software environments for internal use allowing users (modelers) to easily define object rigs and allowing users (animators) to easily animate the object rigs. Based upon such real-world experience, the inventors of the present invention have determined that additional features could be provided to such products and environments to facilitate the object definition and animation process.
Traditionally, three-dimensional objects are a collection of sub-objects (components) connected in a manner defined by the modelers. More specifically, these components are connected in a manner specified by an object hierarchy. As an example, FIGS. 1A-B illustrates representations 100 and 105 of a typical object hierarchy. In this example, the hips 110 are defined as the root component, with three branches (children), as shown: torso 120, left leg 130, and right leg 140. In turn, torso 120 has a single branch to the chest 150, and chest 150 has three sub-branches, neck 160, left shoulder 170, and right shoulder 180. In turn, each of these three branches includes child nodes. As shown, right shoulder 180 and left shoulder 170 are coupled via chest 150. Additionally, as shown, a left hand 190 and a right hand 195 are shown. Previously, the object and the object hierarchy were provided to animators for use in the animation process without input from the animators.
The inventors have recognized that drawbacks to the above method includes that if an animator is setting values for an object, such as right hand 195, and wants to set a value for left hand 190, there is no simple way for the user to move from selecting right hand 195 to selecting left hand 190. For example, in FIG. 1, the user must traverse up object hierarchy 100 from right hand 195 to chest 150, and then navigate down and select left hand 190. Such navigation was time consuming.
In light of the above, the inventors of the present invention have determined that improved user interfaces and methods are desired.